Optical communication using WDM (wavelength-division-multiplexing) techniques is a very attractive and economical solution for the bandwidth needs expected for Internet, video, and multimedia services. The broadband feature of optical communication provides transparency in optical networks where optical signals can carry independent signal formats without interference. For example, in the same optical fiber at the same time, a first carrier signal with wavelength λ1 (i.e., channel 1) could carry analog frequency multiplexed signals, a second carrier signal with wavelength λ2 (i.e., channel 2) could carry a 2.5-Gb/s (OC-48) digital signal, and a third carrier signal with wavelength λ3 (i.e., channel 3) could carry a 155-Mb/s (OC-3) digital signal. This transparency provides cost reduction, survivability, security, and/or flexibility of the optical networks. Specifically, optical signals can be routed dynamically in or between networks to avoid interruption of services and highly secured or emergency data can reach destinations without interrupting other communication services. Transparency also provides management flexibility to optimize the traffic and bandwidth allocation in optical networks. Furthermore, transparency enables the capacity of optical networks to be greatly increased without significantly increasing costs since existing underground or undersea fiber optic cables can be used.
To achieve such transparency in such optical networks, the optical networks comprise various optical devices, such as WDM multiplexers, switches, filter systems, wavemeters, power regulators, and/or attenuators. These optical devices may themselves comprise optical components, such as gate filters, thin film filters, Fresnel lenses, refractive lenses, grating mirrors, reflective mirrors, and/or tuning plates. However, conventional optical components of the type just described are bulky, cannot be monolithically fabricated, and require manual assembly for proper optical alignment.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for monolithically fabricated, on-chip assemblable, MEMS optical components. These optical components would be integrated together on an integrated MEMS chip to form an optical device of an optical network.